Chester Zoo is celebrating the arrival of an exceptionally rare Rothschild’s giraffe calf – for the third time in only a matter of months.

The latest of the leggy newcomers was born to mum Orla at 6.50am yesterday after a 15-month gestation. Zookeepers are yet to determine the sex of the calf, which follows hot the hooves of fellow recent arrivals Zahra and Sanyu.

Recent estimates suggest that fewer than 1,100 are left in the wild – making them one of the most endangered subspecies of giraffe in the world.

The latest arrival at Chester Zoo, a rare Rothschilds giraffe calf

Assistant curator of mammals at Chester Zoo, Nick Davis, said: “It’s often said that three is the magic number and that’s certainly been the case for us - our new arrival has made it a hat-trick of endangered Rothschild’s giraffe calves born here in the space of just eight months.

“Our most recent calf arrived yesterday morning and both mum Orla and her youngster are doing very well. With this being Orla’s second calf, she’s a relatively experienced mum now and is doing a fantastic job of caring for her new charge.

“The calf was up on its feet and nursing shortly after the birth and is already full of energy and personality, so we’re all very excited to see how they get along with the rest of the herd.

“If this trio of calves can help to raise awareness of the huge pressures that Rothschild’s giraffes face on a day-to-day basis out in the wild and highlight the ever-growing need for conservation, then we’ll be very happy indeed.”

Once wide-ranging across Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, the Rothschild’s giraffe has been almost totally eliminated and now only survives in a few small, isolated populations.

As well its successful breeding programme, Chester Zoo also supports projects in the wild, including the first ever scientific review of the species, with the aim of developing a long-term conservation strategy for the animals in Africa.